Loin of lamb with shahjira spice and almond crust and black cardamom-scented jus

Mystical and even erotic, this dish conjures up images of India, and its fascinating spices. When I decided to do this dish I went to the Asian Bazaar in the market and talked to the proprietor, Gihar, about a spice for my lamb crust. I told him that I wanted to know about some spice combinations, but I did not say that I would be using them together, as I eventually did. He introduced me to these two wonderful mixtures. One is pucban puran—consisting of cumin, fenugreek, cardamom, fennel a